Breaking news: Regulatory regime for books to remain unchanged.

This just in from Competition Minister Dr Craig Emerson:

The Government has not accepted the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the parallel importation restrictions on books.

A victory indeed!
Thanks to the fantastic array of talent on the boat for keeping their nerve, for backing their judgement, for their sure and steady sailing.

We've had a lot to say about this issue. All that remains to be said is...

We need your help

In lieu of a blog post today, we are writing to our Federal member about the importance of retaining Australian Territorial Copyright.

The first submission to Cabinet will be complete by the middle of August, with the Cabinet making a decision about whether the recommendations of the Productivity Commission will proceed to legislation or not by the end of September.

So the time to leap into the boat is now.

If you are passionate about this issue we urge you to write to your Federal member and the Senators representing your state to make your views clear. You can find your local Federal member using this handy locator.

Write well. Let your fingers do the talking.

Friday Stuff and Items

1) Speaking of design. Check out this hilarious cover and the story behind it.

2) The intrepid Neil Grant - author of the wonderful Rhino Chasers and Indo Dreaming - is on a huge adventure: a research trip to Afghanistan. And he's blogging while adventuring. Blog-i-stan 2009 is fascinating.

3) Because it's Friday, and because the ALP National Conference has been discussing the Productivity Commission's report on parallel importation, we made a lolcat.

The Productivity Commission wants to take a thriving industry, cripple it, and then subsidise it. (UPDATED*)

Twenty-six years ago in Newport Rhode Island, John Bertrand and the crew of Australia II were up against the New York Yacht Club's 132-year America's Cup winning streak.

The America's Cup trophy is decided by the best of seven races. In 1983 the first two races were won by Dennis Connor's Liberty for the New York Yacht Club. The third was won by Australia II, the fourth, Liberty. John Bertrand and his crew and that famous winged-keel were down 3-1. To everyone watching from Australia, it seemed dire.

But at the press conference after that disastrous fourth race John Bertrand faced the media and simply said: 'Basically, nothing has changed. After Sunday afternoon, we had to win three boat races. Today we still have to win three boat races. Nothing has changed.'

History shows he held his nerve and went on to break the longest winning streak in sport.

It seems to us that the findings of the Productivity Commission are only a race lost, not the trophy. Basically nothing has changed. No laws have been passed. Parallel Importation restrictions remain. The trophy for us as a nation is to be able to continue to nourish, support and stand proudly behind not just our sporting heroes, but also our creative heroes and our cultural ambassadors. It is indeed a trophy worth winning.

The argument we are up against is cheaper books. And who doesn't love cheaper books? Not us. We love a book bargain as much as the next person. But we also like good books. And we love good Australian books. And we love being able to bring good Australian books into the world. And there is no evidence that removing the parallel importation laws will mean cheaper books for consumers. None. It is inconceivable to us that anyone would be willing to sacrifice a locally thriving, internationally respected industry that cultivates and champions its artistic and cultural health on the altar of an unsubstantiated claim about cheaper books. Let's get this message across. Clearly.

John Betrand's advice in times such as this is: 'You need to soften your touch on the helm, let your intuition take over and back your judgement. There is a fantastic array of talent on the boat.'

Perhaps we would be wise to heed his words. Let's take a deep breath. Let's not panic. Let's not tighten up and make poor decisions. Let's back our judgement. Let's have faith in the talent on the boat (writers, publishers, the APA, the ASA, the ABA, the printing industry, independent book stores, Australians for Australian Books). Let's work towards ensuring Kevin Rudd embraces the Australian book industry with the same enthusiasm Bob Hawke showed for Australia II on the day of our greatest yachting triumph.

Our title comes from Joseph Pearson's excellent, fewer than 140-character summation of the PC report.
In other news, we are delighted with the Greens position. And we reiterate our own thoughts and cheer the many bloggers taking up the cause, including James Bradley, Sophie Cunningham, Lili Wilkinson, Henry Rosenbloom and Nick Earls. Hurrah! And see here for a nicely bookmarked collection of parallel importation articles.


*UPDATE: We have just been alerted (thanks Tom) to an EXCELLENT article on The Aussiereviews Blog that clearly explains how the current parallel importation laws work, the fallacy of the cheaper books claim and the likely effect on the book industry and (importantly) the consumer if the PI laws are scrapped.

The sound of many hands clapping

Hear, hear! Richard Flanagan

On the dawn of our own wonderful YA festival - Reading Matters, we are delighted to be able to be able to share the transcript of Richard Flanagan's Closing Address at the Sydney Writers Festival

He tells it like it is with regard to parallel importation, the importance of territorial copyright, local publishing and independent book-selling and the threat to the Australian cultural landscape that is being promoted by Big Business. He doesn't pull his punches. Here's a snippet:

For it falls to us to once more to defend the right—our right and our deepest need—to our own stories in our own voice, which is also, historically and perhaps inevitably, that same battle between truth and power...

I cannot begin to convey to you the destructive stupidity of what is being proposed, nor the intense sadness and great anger that so many Australian writers feel about this proposal...

The American publisher laughed, saying that while Australia’s folly would profit him, why on earth was Australian government contemplating such an insane idea that would destroy an industry and damage a vibrant literary culture?

Australian independent bookstores have for decades supported the unknown Australian writers, built the audience for books for us all, from David Malouf to Christos Tsiolkas, backed the Chloe Hoopers and Joan Londons, reminded us why Helen Garner mattered and Don Watson was important, persuaded us to buy a first Australian book by a Nam Le or a Steve Toltz. They are also the path into which books from elsewhere that matter are introduced to this country, and keep our book culture from becoming gangrenous. Their future under this proposal is bleak indeed...

Thus even a hugely successful Tim Winton novel—a book that enables his publisher here, Penguin Australia, to nurture new Australian writers of talent—could end up in Australian remainder bins. A dumped US hardback of Breath would be far cheaper than an Australian paperback, but with no royalty payable to the author and no profit to their Australian publisher...

We can prostate ourselves to the abacus, tear out our tongues, and end up as a banging gong, a clanging cymbal. Or we can with love seize our language, our stories, and with them make ourselves anew...

Kevin Rudd can do more than just reject the measure to end territorial copyright. He can turn around, recognise the centrality of Australian writing to Australia, and offer something large and positive in its place. He could make explicit national support for Australian stories told in Australian voices. Is this too much? I think not...

Do read the full transcript.

We say again: hear, hear!

Productivity Commission - say it isn't so

It wasn't so long ago we were singing the praises of the articulate and impassioned submissions made to the Productivity Commission regarding Copyright Restrictions on the Parallel Importation of Books.

It seems these submissions have largely fallen on impervious hearts and minds as the discussion draft report released by the Productivity Commission suggests that allowing parallel importation is the destination they have in their sights. Which is alas. We shake our heads in disbelief. This big bad is harder to slay than we imagined (aren't they all? except for that one that turned out to be actual postage-stamp size).

In a nutshell they have recommended that publishers and authors retain territorial copyright on works only for the first 12 months of a book's life, after which time booksellers could purchase any edition of that book from any source in the world. Not good news.

The Australian Publishers Association have labelled the draft "unworkable and destructive". And Text's Michael Heyward expressed his disappointment out loud over here.

Further submissions are invited. [Submit! Clever, articulate, impassioned peeps, submit!]

We are ever hopeful that the PC have what it takes to put a stake through the heart of the PI reform recommendations in the draft report - or at the very least, that they give them a soul.

Parallel Importation

We wrote and erased many paragraphs trying to come up with a short clear summary of this complex issue: what it is, what it isn't, and what it means to the Australian publishing industry.

And then we realised that the MOST ARTICULATE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY had already done it for us.

The Productivity Commission asked for submissions relating to 'a range of issues in regard to the parallel importation of books'. And boy did they receive them - 269 at last count.

Many A&U authors and illustrators have made clear, cogent, interesting and passionate submissions: Garth Nix, Penni Russon, Christobel Mattingley, Shaun Tan, Garry Disher, Wendy Orr, Libby Gleeson, Steven Herrick, Terry Denton, Barry Jonsberg, Elise Hurst, Nadia Wheatley, Ron Brooks and Anna Ciddor. Not to mention our own PAG.

Allen & Unwin's position is this:

'The certainty provided by the Copyright Act, coupled with the incentive to operate efficiently embedded in the 1991 parallel importation provisions, have led to a situation where benefits are derived for consumers, authors, booksellers, printers and publishers. As well as this Australia derives a cultural benefit from the publication of close to 14 000 Australian authored books every year - books that help Australians understand themselves and their country better.'

You can read our full submission here.

There are also submissions from lots of other publishers and authors, as well as booksellers, printers, librarians, designers, illustrators, typesetters and agents - around 95 per cent of which are against scrapping the copyright protection to allow parallel importation.

Tim Winton's submission is a fascinating history of publishing in Australia. Frank Moorhouse almost had us cheering by the last paragraph. Tom Keneally, Kate Grenville, Nick Earls, Tim Flannery, Sonya Hartnett, Peter Carey - pick your favourite author and see what they have to say on the subject.

A draft report will be released in March, and the Commission is to present its findings to the Australian Government in May 2009. Until then, an entire industry holds its breath.